Discaya, coaccused placed in separate isolation rooms
CITY OF MALOLOS—Contractor Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya II and two Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineers are being held in separate mandatory preventive isolation units at the Bulacan Provincial Jail for security and safety reasons.
Jail warden Enrico Vargas said on Tuesday that Discaya and former DPWH Bulacan First District Engineering Office officials Norberto de Leon Santos and Merg Jaron Laus are safe and not receiving any special treatment.
“They are being held in separate mandatory preventive isolation and security rooms and will remain there for at least two weeks,” Vargas told the Inquirer.
“We assure everyone that they are safe and will not be accorded special treatment. They will be treated like ordinary persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), but their safety and security must also be ensured,” he said.
Discaya was transferred to the provincial jail on Monday after being in the Senate’s custody since September. The Malolos Regional Trial Court ordered his arrest on graft and malversation charges last week over alleged anomalies in a flood control project in Bulacan worth P53.9 million. His coaccused include his wife Cezarah and former and current DPWH officials.
Vargas said jail guards have been assigned to monitor the three detainees around the clock.
Good health
According to the warden, Discaya, Santos and Laus underwent medical examinations upon their admission to the provincial detention facility and were found to be in good physical condition.
The three suspects are among the newest additions to the population of the Bulacan Provincial Jail, which currently houses 1,848 PDLs, composed of 1,677 men and 171 women.
Discaya’s lawyer, Cornelio Samaniego, said on Monday that his client would not seek hospital arrest despite recently undergoing shoulder surgery.
However, Samaniego said their legal team plans to petition the court to allow Discaya to post bail.
The charges of violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and malversation of public funds through falsification of public documents are generally considered nonbailable offenses.
But Samaniego was hopeful, saying that not all offenses classified as nonbailable are automatically beyond judicial review. “We will file a motion and ask the court to allow bail,” he said.
